Boeing to slash up to 2,300 jobs

AFP, NEW YORK

Sun, Mar 24, 2013 - Page 13

US aerospace giant Boeing said on Friday it would cut between 2,000 and 2,300 jobs by the end of the year in the Seattle region as it winds down development of its 787 and 747 aircraft.

About 800 workers of Boeing Commercial Airplanes are to be laid off, with the rest of the cutbacks coming through attrition, redeployment and leaving vacant positions unfilled, the company said in an e-mail to reporters.

“With 787 and 747 development efforts completing and disruption substantially decreasing, we require fewer resources,” the company said.

“We will assess employment needs continuously and may need to hire in some areas to ensure we maintain critical skills. We continue to explore all options to lessen the use of layoffs,” it said.

The workforce reductions are to occur in the Seattle region of Washington state, where the Chicago-based company has its primary aircraft plants.

The job cuts primarily are to affect work in post-assembly modification activities on the 787, the cutting-edge jetliner that has been grounded worldwide since mid-January due to a battery problem, and on the 747 long-haul aircraft.

The activities, which Boeing calls “change incorporation and refurbishment,” come during the development phase of new airplanes.

Airplanes that are not part of flight testing undergo “change incorporation,” meaning they are configured to conform with the standards established as part of the effort to certify the airworthiness of the aircraft.